Episode 34 – Martin Engster • Engsta Rides | Building a Lifestyle Brand from Automotive Culture

🎙️ In this episode of The Fashion Translator, I spoke with Martin Engster, Founder of Engsta Rides, about building a brand rooted in automotive culture and translating that passion into apparel.

What began as a personal connection to cars — shaped by early exposure, environment, and experience — gradually evolved into something broader. Not just clothing, but a way to express identity through what you drive, how you live, and what you connect with.

Rather than approaching fashion through trends or traditional inspiration, Martin built his brand by pulling from a completely different world — automotive culture — and translating that into design, messaging, and product.

From personal passion to product experimentation, the conversation highlights how brands can emerge from outside the fashion system — and why that perspective brings a different kind of depth.

We explore:
• How automotive culture shapes a brand beyond product
• Why lifestyle positioning creates stronger connection than apparel alone
• The process of translating personal interests into design direction
• The role of experimentation in finding the right product and quality
• How AI can support design while keeping the creator in control

In lifestyle-driven brands, where identity comes from outside the industry, the real challenge isn’t creating apparel — it’s translating a personal world into something others can recognize and connect with.

✨ If you’re building a brand rooted in passion and looking to translate it into something tangible and scalable, feel free to reach out

Guest:
👤 Martin Engster
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/engsta/
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinengster/

Brand:
🌐 https://engstarides.com/
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/engsta/
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/engsta-rides/

✨ Connect with Claire Lys to explore how AI, systems, and innovation can support fashion brands — or to be featured on The Fashion Translator:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-lys-bastien-wald/